phelps



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

O. O. PHELPS, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE G. CAMPBELL, OF SAME PLAGE.

WASHING- Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,207, dated September 26, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, G. C. PHELPS, of the city of Janesville, county oRock, and State Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Constructing and Operating aMachine for Vtashing Clothes 5 and I do hereby declare 'that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, like characters referring to like parts in each gure.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in the peculiar construction and arrangement, hereinafter described, ot' the several parts of a washing-machine, whereby the clothes that are very much soiled may be rubbed in the bottom ofthe machine as upon a washboard, while those that are not are pressed andturned (somewhat upon the fulling-machine principle) at the side of the machine between two series of parallel bars; second, in the use in connection with a series of parallel bars of a space back of them in or through which the dirty water pressed from the clothes may escape without again falling back upon them.

'Io enable others skilled in the mechanic arts to construct and operate my machine, I` will referto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis an end view of my machine, with a portion of the end A cut away to show its internal arrangement and construction. Fig. 2 is a side view at right angles to Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical or top View of my machine. Fig. et is a top view with the presser or rubber and cover G removed. Fig. 5 is a side view of the presser or rubber.

I construct my machine of any convenient form or size and from any suitable material, providing it with the necessary appendages, as a box, A g L, and suitable supports or legs, B, for the same.

Through the upper portion ofthe ends A A' of the box I run a rod or shaft, h, which also runs through the slot a, Fig. l, of the side support, G, of the presser orrubber, and upon which the latter swings when operated by thelever f, Figs. l, 2, 3.

A portion, E, of the bottom of the box, or the entire bottom, together with the bottom or under portion, E', of the rubber or presser, are corrugated after the manner ot' wash-boards. Within and along one side ofthe box I place the horizontal parallel bars F, Figs. l and 4, which are secured to the vertical slats b, leaving a space, e', between the bars and the side g of the box,into which the water or suds freely enter as the presser orrubber presses the clothes against the bars.

I construct the presser or rubber with vertical bars P, curving or turning under after the mannerofthesidesupport,O,asshowninFig.1, and secured at the top to a cross-piece, O, Figs. 3 and 5, and at the bottom to another crosspiece, E", which is corrugated, as above described, while across and over these vertical bars I secure the horizontal bars l.

Extending from the sides over a portion of the top ofthe box, to prevent the water or suds from escaping therefrom, are the movable cov ers or lids G and G', Figs. l and 3.

If the clothes are suticiently soiled to require rubbing I spread them upon the corrugated bottom E ofthe box. If necessary for this purpose, or for cleaning the box, the presser or rubber may be removed by rst withdrawing the pin e and rod h. After the presser or rubberI is replaced the corrugated portion E', owing to the slot a, is pressed with the full force ot' the weight of the presser or rubber upon the clothes, and when in operation subjects the latter to the process of rubbing; after which, or in the first instance, if the clothes are not much soiled, I put them in the box forward of the presser or rubber, or between it and the parallel bars F, where by operating the lever f they are subjected to an intermit-v tent pressure.

It will be seen that, owing to the peculiar construction and arrangement ot' the bars F and the rubber or presser, the clothes, while subjected to the latter treatment, are constantly kept rolling or turning to avoid their presenting the same surface tothe action of the presser or rubber twice.

It will also be seen that the open space e, Fig. 4, back of the bars F, serves an important part in the cleaning process, allowing as it does the dirty water forced between the bars from the clothes to escape through the back passage thus opened Without falling back upon the clothes or again coming in contact with 'them until after it is mixed with the mass of Water below.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-l The combination of the oscillating presser or rubber C C, When constructed with Vertical curved bars P and horizontal ones l and the corrugated piece E', with the corrugatedfbottom piece, E, and the parallel side bars, F, the whole constructed and operated substantially as described and for the purpose specied.

c. c. PHELPs.

Witnesses:

H. WETTSTEIN, S. D. LocKE. 

